Undeniable
by Imsorrydamnit
Summary: After Paige moves to San Francisco Emily is unsure how to continue their relationship, she wants to be with her even though their future seems bleak. But Emily and the girls aren't expecting the challenges they will soon face. Even after Ali's arrest for Mona's murder, will they truly be safe from A? And will Emily and Paige be able to stay together through the distance?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:** Sorry to those who saw the previous story, there was some things wrong and I'm new to publishing my stories and I kinda just deleted it. I changed my mind though so I'll just publish what I have again but extended, sorry. If you guys have any tips for me, you can comment and i'll try to incorporate it into the story. Italics are flashbacks by the way. And thank you!

 _I'm late. I can't believe this is the last moment I'm going to be able to see Paige, and I might miss it. I wanted to be on time, I really did. I wanted to show up before her flight, and tell her how much I loved her. Maybe if I said it just right, or if I told her about Alison's arrest, she would want to stay. She wouldn't have to be afraid anymore, and could convince her parents that she was safe. But I had to make sure Ali was caught, I couldn't risk Paige getting hurt anymore._

 _I got to the gate, no one was there. Everyone had boarded. My chest tightened and I felt as if I couldn't breathe. While trying to save her, I missed even saying goodbye._

 _I was about to leave when I saw her. Her perfect reflection in the mirror. She decided to stay, I couldn't believe it. I finally had her back, and I wasn't going to lose her. Then I saw it...her sad eyes looking up at me- "The airline changed my gate. My flight's boarding now." The air around us tensed, she started fidgeting and asked, "How'd you get passed security?"_

" _Uh, I bought a sixty-nine dollar ticket to Atlantic City," I said, beginning to feel silly about it. She simply looked up at me and smiled, clearly amused of my actions. I would miss that smile. I couldn't just let her leave, I had to fight for her, just how she fought for me so many times before. I couldn't hold it any longer, "Paige, you don't have to go. They arrested Alison for killing Mona, she's in jail." I was hopeful, convinced that I could somehow keep her here._

 _She seemed nervous, wary about the news. "She's not going to stay there" Paige said surely._

" _Yes she will. Tell your parents. They have to let you stay. It's safe now."_

" _Emily" she said forcefully . The hope I had now deteriorating with every passing second. "I have to go."_

" _Listen, you don't." I looked into her eyes, I wanted her to realize what she would be leaving behind. What this meant for us._

" _Yes, I do."_

 _I couldn't take it anymore, she seemed set in leaving. I just had to know, "Why?"_

" _First, because my parents want me to."_

 _I wasn't convinced, " Well, we can fight that."_

 _She seemed passive, " I don't want to fight anymore." I was confused. Everything that we had worked for, everything we had been through was now for nothing. She continued, "I'm tired of fighting. I've used so much energy fighting and being afraid, I worry I'm not going to have anything left to just live. You know what I mean."_

 _I had to admit it, " Yeah… I guess I do." It hurt me to acknowledge that. Admitting the stress and difficulty A had added to our lives seemed wrong. It made it seem like Ali had won. Even though she had been just been put in jail for Mona' murder, she still had power over us._

 _Paige tried to reason with me, " So maybe, this isn't such a bad idea."_

" _Yeah, well, it's a terrible idea." I didn't want to lose her, I couldn't._

" _What if we decide to pretend it's a good idea?"_

 _The airport's intercom went off calling the last boarding announcement to San Francisco. Everything was happening so quickly, I no longer had any idea what to do. "Please don't go" I begged, I didn't want to see her leave._

" _I have to"_

" _Well take another flight" I eagerly suggested, urging for just a little more time._

" _It's not going to be easier tomorrow." Paige had a point, but it didn't make it hurt any less._

 _We stared at each other for the next few moments, "This isn't fair."_

" _Maybe not," Paige managed to sniffle out "but right now, this is what's supposed to happen to us."_

* * *

"Hey Em, are you okay? You seem more out of it than usual." Aria worriedly asked.

"Yea, I'm fine. Just had a rough night." I felt incredibly bad, even during our school lunches I couldn't help but think about Paige. It had been a month since she walked away from me at the airport. I wanted to continue talking to her, hoping that somehow we could work together and preserve our relationship. But she never answered me. No matter what I sent, she had yet to acknowledge any of my calls, texts, or even e-mails. At first I thought she was just taking some time adjusting to her new life, but after the second week I became increasingly worried. I didn't understand, did I say something wrong?

Spencer insisted, "Are you sure? You know you can talk to us about anything."

"Yes. Like every other time you guys have asked me, I'm fine." I stared at my friends, irritated by the constant question. Aria and Hannah simply tensed, aware of my unstable state. Whereas Spencer just couldn't back down.

"We just want to make sure you're okay Emily." Spencer had the right intentions, but I didn't want to talk about anything. I didn't want them to view me like a vulnerable puppy who needed constant attention. I just needed space and time. And for Paige to answer me, but for now I should at least get what's at my dispense.

Just as I was about to answer Spencer the bell rang. I stood up and grabbed my things. "I know you're just trying to help but I just need some more time. I'm fine though, really. I'll talk to you guys later." They turned and waved to me goodbye, just before turning back and talking among themselves. Surely they were still worried about me, probably creating a plan for me to open up to them. Things were never simple with them, but that's why I loved them.

As I walked through the halls to get to class I managed to notice a few people staring at me. Ali was arrested a month ago, but people still outcast my friends and I as if we are some kind of threat. That's what makes it so difficult to live in a small town like Rosewood, secretes easily spread. Everything that happens is always blown out of proportion, and no one seems to believe you when you tell the truth. We have gotten used to it over the years, but it was still stressful.

Once I got to class I sat down and waited for class to begin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note:**

 **I do not own Pretty little liars, I am simply writing the fanfiction. I normally am not going to be updating this quickly (probably) but I'm not really doing anything so why not. If you have any tips or concerns, feel free to comment. If you like it you should comment, favorite, or follow ;D I haven't written a fanfic before, so bear with me please. Thank you for reading!**

The last bell of the day rang. Finally, I pretty much zoned out the entire time. I know it seemed kinda absurd being so hung up on a girl, but I just really love her. That's not an excuse, but hopefully it justified it, at least a little.

I decided to make my way towards the girls, usually we just met at Aria's locker because she was close to all of us. When I got there Aria and Hannah were already there.

"I just want it to be Friday already I'm tired of being at school"

"I know Hannah, but at least it's already Thursday. We just have tomorrow and then we have the whole weekend to be free." Aria always tried to be the optimistic one out of all of us, even when we were stressed out with the whole A thing.

Hannah was irritated, "Yea, but are we even going to do anything. I don't want to just stay at home and watch tv by myself all day. We finally have Alison off our backs, we should at least try to enjoy what we have left of senior year."

Hannah had a point, we were finally not being tortured by Ali. I decided to speak up, "I heard that they were going to have a party up by the cabins this weekend, if you guys happen to want to go."

Both Hannah and Aria looked up at me surprised, they evidently didn't expect me to want to go and hang out after how I've been acting. Hannah looked at me warily, "Are you sure Em? You've been bummed by Paige not responding, are you sure you want to bring alcohol into this?"

Aria glanced at Hannah, it's not that she disagreed but she didn't think it was the best way to bring the issue up. "I think what Hannah meant was that you might be tempted to drink a bit more than usual, and we just don't want you to do something you regret."

I was a little irritated by both of them, but knew they were just worried so I tried to let it slide. From the corner of my eye I saw Spencer approaching us. "Hey Spence, what took you so long?" I asked trying to momentarily change the topic.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to ask my teacher about the grade he gave me on my last essay." We all just stared at her. "What?"

"What happened Spencer? Did he give you 90% instead of 100%?" Hannah teased her. Spencer just cared about her grades meticulously, specially since there wasn't a whole lot to worry about recently.

"If I think I deserve a higher grade than what he gave me of course I'm going to bring it up. Teachers aren't always right, they're human too and can mess up."

"Yea Spence, he only messes up with you." I decided to join in.

"I'm usually the only one willing to fight about it that's why." Spencer seemed a bit annoyed, but just moved on. "Anyways, what were you guys talking about before I came?"

Hannah responded, "Oh, just how Emily wants to try and drink her problems with Paige away this weekend." Aria decided to elbow her, attempting to warn her that she was crossing an unspoken line.

I glared at Hannah, annoyed by her insinuation. Spencer tried to ease the tension that had built, "Still no luck Em?"

"No." I wanted to leave it at just that but I couldn't. "And what make you think I just want to drink Hannah? You guys have been nagging me to go out for weeks, I would expect you to be happy about me trying to have some fun. Even if I did want to drink, it's my choice. I have been sober up to this point, and I've been trying to get over it. Going crazy one night won't kill me."

Hannah felt a little guilty, but stood by her opinion, "I want you to have fun Em, I just don't want you doing something you regret because you aren't in control. But if you want to go and party, go ahead."

Aria shuffle a bit, deciding what to say. "Emily, if you want to drink then we want you to be responsible about it. You should at least think of a plan beforehand. If you want you can sleep over at my house afterwards. We'll have to sneak in at night but in the morning Mike's the only one that will be home at least. That way you'll have time before you have to see your mom."

"We can all just have a sleepover at my house. My mom has to leave for a case this weekend so there's not going to be anyone in the house. I don't mind, as long as you don't puke everywhere Em." Spencer tried to tease.

"I don't know you guys, if you really don't want me to drink I don't want to cause any trouble. I can come up with something." I was glad they wanted to help me, but after what Hannah said I didn't want to annoy or bother them.

Hannah looked at me and caved in, "Emily don't be stupid. Let's just sleepover at Spencer's and if you do something dumb we'll just make fun of you later. The point is that you're safe, you big doof." She smiled at me and seemed a lot more at ease with the idea.

"Okay then, it's a plan." I smiled at them, glad I had such great friends. "Are you going to bring Caleb Hannah?"

She thought about it for a bit, "I don't know. Parties aren't really his thing, but i'll ask. Maybe he'll want to go."

I looked at the time and realized I was going to be late to help Sydney for swim practice. "Oh, sorry guys. I promised Sydney I would keep helping her for a bit. I gotta run. Bye!"

* * *

Helping Sydney didn't take as long as I had expected. She was extra tired today since she stayed up for an exam, so I just gave her some basic tips for different types of strokes. She has definitely been improving, so cutting her some slack one day wasn't going to hurt her.

I walked into my house and saw my mom. "Hey honey, are you not working today?" she asked me curiously.

"I don't go in until six, I thought I was going to stay later helping Sydney." I explained.

She looked at me worried, "But you have school tomorrow, are you sure you aren't taking on too much sweetie? You're almost graduating, but you still need to stay on top of your studies."

"I know mom, and I am. I just wanted to help her. Anyways, I don't have a lot of homework or anything tonight so it's fine."

"If you say so Em," she said understandingly. To an extent I think she really did get why I wanted to help Sydney. Even though I couldn't swim anymore after my accident, that didn't mean I couldn't help anyone. Sometimes it did make me upset that I had to give up something I loved so much. Specially when it was the one thing that could have kept me close to Paige. Now it was always going to be a 'what if,' I would never know if I would have been able to go to Stanford with her. But I couldn't change anything, I just had to live with it.

I ran upstairs, wanting to take a short nap before I had to leave again. I grabbed my phone to check if Paige had miraculously responded, she didn't. I let out a frustrated sigh, maybe I should try again? I decided against it, and just set up an alarm to wake up. If she wanted to talk to me she would, there's nothing stopping her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note:**

 ***Random update because I can kinda do the writing things***

 **I do not own Pretty Little Liars, I am simply writing the fanfic. Again, I usually won't be posting this quickly, but I just want to write so I guess you just get them earlier. Remember to comment, follow, and favorite please. I'm new to this, so if you have any suggestions just tell me and I will try my best to incorporate into the story. I'm also going to try and do Paige's point of view, so please bear with me. Italics mean it's a flashback. Thank you for reading!**

* * *

*Paige's point of view*

Thursday morning:

As soon as I opened my eyes and realized it was already morning I was grouchy. I wasn't excited to go to school and pretend I liked being here. It was an emotional toll. Moving to San Francisco was a lot harder than I had expected it to be. It isn't because of the whole making new friends and getting adjusted to the school, it's mostly because of how much I miss my old house, all the secret places I knew in Rosewood, my friends, and of course Emily. After laying in my bed for a few more minutes I finally decided to get up and go for my morning run. I got ready and headed downstairs,

"Hey honey, do you want any breakfast?" My dad asked. I saw him everyday right before my morning run, he was heading out to work.

"No thanks dad, I don't want to feel sick when I run."

"Of course not, but I'll leave you and your mom some food ready for whenever you want."

I gave him an appreciative smile, "Okay dad, thank you. If you're gone before I come back I'll just see you tonight, bye dad." And with that I was off. The city could get kinda crowded, but this early in the morning you didn't see many people walking. Even though the neighborhood was peaceful, I decided to go to a nearby park. It wasn't the same as running through the woods in Rosewood, but it was something.

As I made my way I couldn't help but think about Emily. She was never a morning person, she would get mad at me when I would wake her up too early. It was cute, even if she was annoyed by me. I really missed her. I wanted to talk to her so badly, but I couldn't. After my parents told me I was going to move, I forced myself to actually think about it. I didn't want to say no straight away just because of my relationship with Emily. So I gave myself a few weeks to really evaluate it. It wasn't until one day I was at the Brew talking to Caleb that I realized what I had to do.

 _We were sitting in the back trying to avoid the rush hour crowd, Emily was extra busy so I was patiently waiting for the end of her shift. Caleb was mentioning something about Hannah dragging him to one of her shopping sprees, but I couldn't help stare at my flustered girlfriend. Even when the place was overcrowded with customers she managed to keep her composure._

 _"Paige... Paige," Caleb waved his hand in front of me, finally getting my attention. "I've been talking for the last five minutes and I don't think you even a heard a word I said," he smirked at me, well aware of the reason for my distraction._

 _"I'm sorry Caleb, as invigorating as it is to hear about the many outfits Hannah tried on I'm just still unsure whether I want to move or not." I said defeated. I've been thinking about this for weeks, but I didn't want to talk to Emily about it. It might give her unrealistic hope, and I couldn't just take it from her. It was better for her to think I was certainly moving._

 _"Well, are you happy right now?" he asked._

 _"You know it's a lot more complicated than that Caleb." There were too many factors to think about. Ultimately it be like choosing between my parents and Emily._

 _He looked at me knowingly, "No it isn't Paige. Now I'll ask you again, are you happy?"_

 _I thought about it for a minute, "Yes, I'm happy." There were still many things going on in my mind, but overall that was the truth._

 _"Then why do you want to give that up? The only reason you should give up this happiness is if you think you'll be happier doing something else. You shouldn't settle Paige, but if you like where you are you should stay. And if you don't then fix it." He sat back in the chair, taking a sip of his drink. This is why I liked Caleb, he tried to stop me from overthinking. And he was never pushy about anything. Yes he recommended things, but he wasn't persistent like Hannah._

 _I looked at Emily once more. I wanted this. I wanted to stay here. "Okay, I think I'm staying. This way I'll at least have some more time before I have to leave for college."_

 _Caleb gave me a nod, glad that I wasn't going to leave. "Good, I don't think I could handle just being with the girls without you. At least I have you to back me up when Hannah thinks I'm being unreasonable."_

 _I smiled at him. Their relationship wasn't perfect, but Hannah and him were nice together. I was about to speak when my phone went off. Worried it would be my parents, I decided to check it. It was a text, **Stay and Emily pays. -A.** I worryingly looked at my phone, unsure what to do._

 _Caleb looked at me confused, "Is everything alright McCullers?" I decided to hand him my phone in hope for some help. He read it and looked up at me, "I don't know Paige, I'm not sure what you're going to do."_

 _To almost anybody else a text like this would be a lot easier to deal with, but knowing what A was capable of made it much more difficult. "I don't want to put Emily at risk. I would rather leave than her have to constantly look over her shoulder for danger."_

 _He looked at me sympathetically, "I know Paige, if this happened to Hannah I would do the same thing. At least for a while until I figured out who it was."_

 _I knew what I had to do, "If I leave, will you keep an eye on Em? I just want her to be safe."_

 _"Of course, we can talk about everything else later. Don't worry Paige, things will work out."_

 _I looked over at Emily once more, "I sure hope so Caleb, because I don't want what Emily and I have to end."_

The memory of that day made my morning run difficult, adding to the stress I already had.

Caleb and I had made a few agreements after that day. I would stay communicating with him no matter what, and he would keep me updated on Emily. Even after they caught Ali and the girls thought that she was A, Caleb and I weren't convinced. When Emily told me that Alison was arrested it gave me a small hint of hope, but I had a gut feeling it wasn't the end of all our troubles. So I decided to still come to San Francisco, I couldn't just bail. I'm glad I did, because when I got here I was met with a few "gifts" from A. A mainly wanted me to stop communicating with any of the girls, specifically Em. I didn't want to risk anything, so I haven't talked to her since I got here. It really hurt me to do it, I had to ignore all her calls, texts, and even e-mails. Emily hates sending friends e-mails, she thinks it is only for distant acquaintances or something formal. I just needed some time to try and figure this out as safe as possible. I didn't want her to be harmed in any way. The girls didn't even know yet that A was still out there, but Caleb and I wanted to give them some time at peace. And A has been so vigilant lately that he couldn't find a proper time to tell the girls without A knowing we were trying to track them. I still had to talk to Caleb, I chose to use a burner phone so the call couldn't be traced. So many times I have been tempted to call Emily from one. For at least a few minutes, but I just don't want her to get hurt. I hope she'll understand when this is over. Caleb has explained to me that she really misses me, but she's getting through it. I just hope she doesn't move on from me. What if she is happy with someone else?

I finally got home, and figured I should stop thinking so much. I wanted to take a cold shower and force my thoughts to disappear. I just had to be hopeful that Emily wanted me enough to wait for me. Even if she didn't, maybe she would still want to be with me after she figures everything out. Or maybe she'll be furious and hate me for not telling her. I had to stop thinking. I sighed and ran to the bathroom to get ready for the long day ahead.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note:**

 **I do not own Pretty Little Liars, I'm merely the writer of this fanfic. I appreciate your guys' responses and follows, and I'll try to keep writing and hopefully it remains interesting ^-^ Remember that this is my first time writing a fanfiction, so if you guys have any suggestions for me I'm glad to have it and I'll try my best to utilize the information. Some of the story is going to parallel a lot to some of the shows scenes, but I'm trying to spin off from it too. The point's of view might change throughout, but I'll indicate where. Also remember that italics are flashbacks. Okay, thanks for reading :D**

* * *

*Emily's POV*

In my drowsy state I could hear my alarm sounding. Ugh. I wanted to sleep just a little longer, but I knew if I didn't get up I would be late to work. I dragged myself out of bed and headed to the bathroom to make sure I was at least presentable. My shirt became really wrinkled and looked kinda gross, but the rest was fine. At least I should change shirts. When I returned to my room I realized I hadn't checked my phone. I stared at it, willing it to have something from Paige. Even a simple "Hi" would make me content. I grabbed it and checked. Nothing. It was getting tiring trying to stay hopeful about Paige. It felt as if she had given up on us and didn't want to speak to me at all. I felt completely abandoned by her. But I was also stubborn, and I knew that there had to be a reason for this. Paige wouldn't just stop talking to me with no explanation. She was the fighter in our relationship, even when I had given her every reason to let me go. She always fought for me, and I loved that. It made me feel safe and that I had someone who cared about me no matter what.

As I went through my dresser I found an old t-shirt of Paige's. I wanted to keep thinking that we would work out, and I really miss her. I'll just wear this today, I want to feel as close to her as I can, even though it is pretty much nonexistent right now. It wasn't the best shirt out there, and it looked a little worn out , but I was just going to work so it didn't really matter. Specially at the Brew. I grabbed my things and headed downstairs.

When I got to the kitchen I didn't see my mom anywhere. She was probably busy running some errands. I decided to quickly text her letting her know I was heading to work. With that I was ready to leave and finish up my day.

* * *

I only had about 30 more minutes for my shift to end, and I was pretty grateful for that. Today was rather easy in terms of customers. Sometimes it became a little crowded, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Ever since Ezra bought the Brew it has been doing a lot better. I, for one, prefer him over the previous owner, Zack, who tended to flirt with the younger customers. After the whole fiasco with Aria's mom finding out about him cheating and flirting with Hannah, he could no longer show his face around town without being judged. Business had been dwindling away with him anyways, and Ezra had helped kick start it back up.

With a new company owner came new employees. One of them included Talia, the baker for the place. Everyone else seems to really like her, and I agree that she seems nice, but I don't know, something about her seems off to me. I don't want to be the only one that disagrees with her, so I'm really trying to get along. But sometimes she makes it difficult. I don't know if she's intentionally trying to push my buttons or she just does it naturally.

Just I was picking up some dishes and taking them to be washed I noticed Talia began searching for something under the counter. As I approached she was pulling out some of the cleaning supplies we kept. "Oh, there's stuff in the kitchen if you want to clean. I can show you," I said trying to help her.

She looked at me surprised. "I know, they're in the supply closet. I'm just going to go and put this with the rest," she said as she began taking out the products.

I was about to let her, but I don't want her to think she can just go around moving everything. "That's not usually where we keep this stuff," I said as nicely as I could, not wanting to appear rude.

She didn't seem offended, but she tried to explain. "Listen, I just had some down time and I don't do well with idle hands."

Although I understood her reason, I still didn't think she should change things without consulting others first. "If there's some things you think we should change, then great. Just… bring it up before you decide on your own. Deal?"

She nodded in agreement, "Deal." I was about to take the dishes when she took the opportunity to bring up another one of her ideas. "I actually did want to ask, do you think Ezra would go for a new uniform?"

I looked at her confused, "Uniform?"

"Yea. Nothing fancy, just a polo with the logo. You know, something casual and cohesive. Just a little… neater," she said trying to emphasize her point.

As understanding as I was trying to be I was getting really irked by her. I may not understand everything she does, but I understood she was indirectly commenting about my attire. I was trying to maintain my composure, "Neater than what?"

"Well I was just noticing earlier that there's a little hole in the shoulder of your shirt," she said unsure, "and I just started thinking that maybe.."

I didn't even let her finish. "It's a t-shirt," I said defensively. I didn't want to seem like it, so I gave a slight shrug and continued, "Its comfortable."

She didn't back down, "Yea, just...maybe something a little darker. So that the stains don't show."

I was reaching my breaking point with her, but I couldn't just argue with her in the middle of the store. I tried to calm, "Okay. Maybe one new idea at a time. Okay?"

"Yea," she nodded her head in agreement.

"Yea..." I bit my lip in an attempt to keep my cool. I had to stay calm, there was no point in arguing with her over something so pettifogging. Talia decided to leave the supplies where they were, probably in an attempt to not get me further frustrated.

I went to place the supplies back under the counter, and took a minute to cool down. Now I was almost certain she liked challenging me, but I still wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she just naturally had horrible socializing skills with me. Maybe I was just being overly sensitive. Either way, there was a desperate need to set each other's boundaries. I would try my best to not get in her way if she did the same for me.

A few minutes later I realized I had to go into the kitchen to refill the milk container. Ugh, just my luck. I only have 15 minutes left of work, maybe I can just wait until someone else does it. No, I work with the woman for god's sake, I can't just avoid her the whole time. I decide to suck it up and just do it. As I opened the door I saw her back towards me and I froze, instantly regretting my decision. It was too late to turn back, so I urged myself forward. I was trying to avoid contact at all cost, looking ahead at my destination. From my peripheral vision I could see her glancing towards me. I make it to the refrigerator and take out the milk. If I do this quickly enough I can avoid a potentially awkward conversation. Just as I'm opening the cap I hear her-

"Your t-shirt… Is it a gift?" she casually asks me while separating some vegetables.

I turn to her puzzled, "What?" I'm simultaneously refilling the container, having something to at least somewhat distract me.

"From the Ex." I turn the other way, I don't want to talk about this. She continues, "You got defensive when I… pointed out the hole in your shirt."

I already decided to not speak much about Paige to anyone, that wasn't going to change just because she felt bad. I try my best to move pass this subject, "It's not a big deal." I turn around and place the milk back into the refrigerator, hoping that is the end of it.

"It is. And I'm sorry." She seemed genuinely regretful. "You know, when someone's important to you it can be hard to let go." Part of me felt bad that she felt like she needed to apologize for something so ridiculous, but I appreciated it. I might have slightly overreacted. I began to walk towards her, unsure of what to say. She looked at me as if she had a revelation, "There's this dish, it's a beef stew. It's called ropa vieja, it literally means old clothes. It's just one of those old recipes that comes from a hundred different places and everybody makes it the same way over and over again. You know, every once in a while you have to add something different. You add your own touch, and then the same old thing can seem brand new again."

I thought about it for a bit, understanding what she wanted to tell me. "I don't know if I'm ready to feel brand new," I admitted.

"Well, how can you when you're carrying your old relationship around on your back."

I looked away from her. I knew it was the truth but I wasn't ready to just let go. I felt her staring at me and couldn't take it. I looked up at her and nodded, then left to finish off the remainder of my shift.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note:**

 **I do not own Pretty Little Liars, I am merely writing the fanfic. Also, over these short few days of updating I've realized my chapters are slowly getting longer, so I may take a bit longer to update. Other than that, I really appreciate everyone who has commented, favored, or followed. This is my first time writing a fanfiction, so if you have any suggestions please feel free to comment. I will try my best to incorporate it into the story. Remember that italics are flashbacks, and the point of view will be identified throughout. Also because I am not aware of characters that would fill some parts of the story I'll just have to make them up. Thank you for reading!**

* * *

*Emily's POV*

It was already Friday morning and I had barely gotten to school. The bell rang as soon as I parked, and I was basically running through the halls to get to class. I couldn't be late to Biology, if I was Mr. Grimm would surely make me pay for it. I rushed into the room just as the tardy bell rang. "I'm here!" I awkwardly yelled. Everyone turned to look at me, I have no idea why I did that.

"I see that Mrs. Field, it's nice of you to join us. Next time please restrain yourself from picking up your morning coffee so you can be here on time." He seemed a bit irritated by me, but I'm glad he just let it go.

"I'm sorry sir," is all I could manage to say. I awkwardly looked down and started heading towards my seat next to Hannah. She turned to me, clearly wanting an explanation. I didn't want to be even more of a nuisance to my teacher, I barely got away with it this morning. I gestured her to turn and listen, not wanting to get us in trouble. She just rolled her eyes at me, annoyed for my lack of conversation.

"Good morning class, today we will be learning about genomic libraries…" Mr. Grimm continued. I had barely understood this chapter and I know I should listen, but I'm insanely tired. After I got home last night and got ready for bed I couldn't stop thinking about what Talia said. Was it really time to let go? I mean, my sadness has to be a lot more apparent than what I thought if she caught on so quickly. I'm pretty sure I can't just get over Paige even if I tried. The silence just hurt too much, I couldn't let go without an explanation. I had stared at my phone most of the night, wanting to at least talk to Paige for a little. If I called and she was asleep there was a possibility that she could just answer out of instinct, and not just ignore my call. But I also felt bad if I just woke her up. I was so conflicted, I needed closure.

All of a sudden Hannah was tapping my shoulder, "Em. Wake up, you haven't been paying attention at all. And if you have time to daydream you definitely have time to explain to me what the hell happened this morning." She handed me a paper, apparently we were working on something. I have no idea what's going on, so I guess it won't hurt to just talk to Hannah quickly about it.

I turned to her and tried to keep a low voice, "It was just stressful with Talia last night. We aren't getting along very well and I just feel like it's my fault. And when I got home last night I couldn't really sleep, but of course my stupid body decided to oversleep this morning. My mom had to come in and wake me up because my alarm kept ringing." I gave a long sigh, frustrated by everything going on.

"What's going on with Talia?" she questioned me. "Last time I talked to her she seemed really nice. And have you tried her food Em, it's so fucking great." Hannah said as if that was enough reason to like the girl. Sometimes it didn't take a lot to win over Hannah, she could actually be really friendly. If she didn't like someone there had to be a reason, which lead to her being a bitch to them.

I simply rolled my eyes, "Hannah, it's not that simple you know."

"Yes it is Em, there has to be a reason for you two not getting along."

"It's whatever Hannah." I waved my hand and returned to my paper, not wanting to continue this conversation. She looked at me sternly, but I just ignored her pretending like I didn't see her.

After a few seconds she sighed and said, "If you don't tell me I'll end up finding out anyways."

I gave her an incredulous look, "Hannah, just let it go!" It didn't really matter, it wasn't her problem to deal with. I pleadingly glanced at her to drop the subject.

She turned to her paper and slouched defeated, "Fine Em, I'll stop for now." I gave her a grateful look and returned to my assignment. I have been staring at this page for the last 5 minutes and I still have no idea what we're doing. I look over at her paper, hoping to find some work done so I can ask her. She catches me staring, "Do you not know what to do Em?"

I instinctively look down, feeling a bit ashamed that I have been so distracted lately. "No, can you help me?"

"Nope," she says surely, "but we can go ask Spence for help!" She stands up and retrieves her paper and pencil, looking over at me expectantly to do the same. We then walk over to Spencer she is almost done with her work. I give a small sigh, knowing I'm in desperate need of help. The rest of the period Spencer tries to catch me up on the chapter, while Hannah absent mindedly listens and interrupts every so often to talk about something she saw in a magazine.

* * *

The last bell before lunch rang. Although it wasn't the end of the school day, I was glad it was almost over. I gathered my things and started heading towards the lunch area. On my way over there I spotted Sydney talking to a groups of her friends. Oh shit, I'm supposed to help her later today, but I just feel so tired. Maybe if I ask her to call today off she'll be okay with it. I'll feel slightly bad, but if I go I'll be too tired to even really help her. I guess I'll just have to ask her.

I walked over towards her, still debating if I should bail or not. When I got close I just decided to go for it. I walked up to her, "Hey, I'm sorry Sydney but can we talk real quick?"

"Yea, of course." She turned to her friends and told them she'll be right back. "So what up Emily?"

I was a bit hesitant, "I'm really sorry, but do you think we can cancel our session today?" she looked at me a bit confused. "I don't mean to bail all late and everything, but I'm just really tired because I couldn't sleep last night. And I feel like if I tried to help you I would be pretty useless. I'm sorry." She started smiling at me, amused by my rambling.

"It's okay Emily, really. You've helped me so much lately and I'm really grateful for that," she sincerely smiled at me. I'm pretty glad I get along with her now, and that everything that happened between us was in the past. Everything had just become such a mess before.

"Thanks Sydney, I promise to help you next time." I smiled at her and waved goodbye. Now I pretty much didn't have any more commitments for the weekend other than working on Sunday. As I made my way to the tables I saw that the girls were already there. They seemed lost in conversation and didn't notice me until I sat down.

"Oh, hey Em." Hannah said. "I got you a lunch already since I saw you were busy talking to Sydney," she handed me one of the school salads. I glanced over at Aria and Spencer, they were giving each other cautious looks.

"Thanks Hannah." I said smiling at her appreciatively while taking the salad. I began to eat and wait for the conversation to begin again, it didn't. I looked up at the girls, "So what were you guys talking about before I got here?"

"Nothing really, just about some class project I have." Aria tried to casually say. For a group of girls who spent a large time lying because of A, we still sucked at lying to each other. We could never really pull it off.

I looked at her suspiciously, "Really? What do you have to do?" She took a bite of her lunch, clearly trying to stall until she thought of something.

A few seconds later she began saying, "Well, you see. Um, my mom wants me to…"

Hannah looked at Aria and decided to interrupt, "You guys, this is stupid. Why don't we just tell her?" She looked at the girls, who just looked down awkwardly. I just looked back at Hannah, waiting for her to tell me. She sighed, "We know you want to go to the party tomorrow Em, but maybe we should hang out first before you go out and do something wild. At least have a lazy movie day if you don't feel up for going out. We just don't want the first thing you do after Paige leaving to be and go party."

I looked at her a bit confused as to why everyone made such a big fuss about this. "Yea, sure Hannah. But I thought you didn't want to spend the weekend watching movies?"

"I said I didn't want to watch them alone! That's just kinda depressing, but I'm always down to watch it with you guys. Anyways, if I get bored I can just annoy you for entertainment," she said confidently.

I just smiled at her, "Okay then, let's do it." I was about to ask what they wanted to do exactly when I remembered, "Oh I almost forgot. I'm going to have to go to the Brew right before and pick up my check."

"That's okay, we can meet up at my place afterwards," Spender offered. We all agreed since there would be no one else at her house.

"And since you'll already be out Em, you can bring some carry out. Maybe from the Brew since Talia's cooking is so great." Hannah winked at me, trying to get me to agree.

Spencer and Aria both shot her daggers. "Hannah! It's okay Em, we can just order something. You don't have to pick anything up."

"No, it's okay. I'll be there anyways so it's fine." I looked over at Hannah, who was squealing with excitement. "Yay! You're the best Em." She leaned over to give me a quick hug.

"No problem Hannah, anything to get you to shut up." She looked at me slightly shocked, while Spencer and Aria tried to stop themselves from laughing. I couldn't help but smile.

"Whatever Em, you know you love me." She said surely. I nodded in agreement, fully knowing how much I cared about all the girls. The rest of lunch we spent talking about our plans for the weekend, I was actually starting to get excited. This weekend might actually be pretty okay.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note:**

 **I do not own Pretty Little Liars, I am merely writing this fanfiction. Chapter's seem to be getting longer as time progresses, so I might actually start taking time updating, sorry. I've realized this might be kinda a long fanfiction, so sorry. But I'd like to thank does who comment, follow, and favorite. I really appreciate it. If you have any suggestions feel free to comment, I'll try my best to incorporate the idea to the story. Remember that I will be changing points of view throughout, but I will specify who's it is. Also, italics are flashbacks. Thank you for reading!**

* * *

It is already getting kinda late, and I still haven't picked up my check. It took me some time to gather the courage to go to the Brew. I'm pretty sure Talia will be there tonight and I don't really want to run into her, but I guess it will be inevitable. I park the car and decide to just breathe a little. I can do this. It's literally a quick thing. I just walk in there, grab my check and some food, and I go. I was about to get out the car when I get a text: **Hey Em. You still coming? -Spence**. I want to answer, but I'll just answer when I'm inside in case I need to have a distraction. I get out of my car and walk towards the Brew.

As I open the door I see Ezra sitting on the couch, enclosed by paper stacks. He looks up at me, "Hey Em, here for your check?" I nod. He looks through the piles surrounding him, "I think it's here somewhere." After a bit of paper shuffling he looks up and points towards the entrance, "Actually, I think I put them by the counter."

Knowing he was busy, I offer to get it myself, "It's okay, you don't need to get up. I can get it."

He stood up and waved me away, "Don't be silly Em, it's no problem. It's one of the perks of being boss." He opens the cash register and grabs an envelope from under the tray. "Here," he says smiling at me.

"Thanks Ezra." I had come too late to just order food, so the only thing I could do was to ask "Um, we're having a girls night tonight and Hannah was really craving some of Talia's cooking, is it okay if I grab some of tonight's extras?" I felt bad, like I was asking for much more than I should.

"Oh yea, Aria told me about that. Of course Emily, feel free. I actually think Talia is back there finishing something up." He smiled at me, returning to his paper fort.

"Thanks you, I really appreciate it." I start walking towards the door to the kitchen. I was trying to avoid this situation, and now I basically forced myself into it. Why couldn't Hannah just want something else. I open the door and head towards the refrigerator. I don't see anyone, feeling both surprised and relieved. As I was going through the extras of the night I hear footsteps approaching me from behind. "Sorry Ezra, I'm almost done." I grab some sandwiches and turn around, Talia's eyes meet mine. She was just standing there, fidgeting with her hands. "Oh, hey Talia." I say while closing the fridge.

"Hey Emily." She began looking at the floor, it seemed like she was struggling with something. I was starting to feel a bit uneasy, and began to head towards the door.

When I pass her she turns around and grabs my wrist, "I'm really sorry Emily. I didn't mean to offend you yesterday. Sometimes when I'm talking to girls I get extra flustered and my words jumble together and I stick my foot in my mouth, like yesterday and… and, it's just a mess. But I didn't mean anything really bad when I said what I did. I just wanted to help you." She let go of my hand and looked down defeated, clearly regretting saying anything at all.

Something inside me broke in that moment, I walk towards her and just try to comfort her. "Hey, no. Look, it's okay. You were just telling me the truth. I needed to hear it." She began shuffling around, still feeling sorry. I touch her arm trying to soothe her. "I'm not blaming you for anything Talia, it's really okay." She looks up at me, I hadn't realized how close we have gotten. Her big brown eyes are looking right at me. I can feel her breath, something in me wanted to try and lean in and kiss her. Maybe I would have, if my phone hadn't rang. I instantly came out of my daze, and forced a little distance between us. I took my phone out to check the message: **Em? -Spence.**

"Shit," I had forgotten to even text Spencer. I guess late was better than never, so I messaged her back : **On my way, just picking up the food.** I looked up at Talia, knowing I needed to address her in some way. Why is this happening, I thought she was straight. I even thought that she had a thing for Ezra. I don't know if she felt what I felt in that moment, but I don't just want to ask. I haven't even thought about any other girl other than Paige, at least I think I haven't. Oh god, maybe I can just ignore this. I decide to just talk about something else. I look up from my phone towards her, "Oh, sorry. Hannah just wanted me to pick up some food from here. She absolutely loves your cooking."

She smiles towards me. "Oh really?" She says proudly, "So what are you taking her?"

I look down to whatever I had grabbed from the fridge, "These sandwiches I guess."

Talia looked at me astounded, "Your friend sends you here with mad cravings, and all you can get her are some measly sandwiches? I'm not impressed Emily. Just give me fifteen minutes and ill whip you up something better."

I couldn't help but smile at her, "Someone seems pretty cocky." She smiles back, and looks down. I'm not quite sure, but I think she's blushing. I look at my phone and check the time, it's eight fifteen. I take a second to think about it, "Yea, sure. I'll take you up on that offer."

She then heads towards the cabinet to take out some dishes. Once she has what she needs she starts walking towards the refrigerator, "How many are you?"

I look up at her, "We're going to be four." She was doing such a nice gesture for us that I thought it would be rude to not invite her. "You can come if you want. You know, if you're not busy."

She looks over at me and smiles, "I don't think your friends would really appreciate someone they barely know crashing your night out."

"They won't mind, really. Specially for someone who's feeding them."

"Thank you for the offer Emily, but I think I'll have to pass on this one."

"If you say so," I say, not wanting to push the subject. "What are you making anyways?"

She gives me a mischievous look, "It's a surprise. But don't worry, I'm pretty sure you'll like it." She continues to work on the food. I have little idea what she is doing, but am amazed by her pace. She catches me staring at her, and gives a small smirk. She turns and looks me up and down, "Is this how you casually dress?"

I look at my choice of clothes for the night, it was simple. I wore white jeans, a plain shirt, and my leather jacket. I look back up at her "I'm not wearing anything special, I'm just in my usual clothes."

She smiles at me, "I may have to rethink the whole uniform thing. Casual looks good on you." Her words give me a small rush, but I'm not quite sure why. She finishes up the food and packs it up. I see there's a few dirty dishes that she used, "Do you want me to help you wash the dishes? It's the least I can do."

"No, it's okay. You should go on ahead, your friends are waiting for you. You're probably already late."

"Yea, I am. Thanks a lot, I know Hannah will be really glad. And I'll definitely try to make it up to you." She hands me the bag, and our hands slightly graze each other's. It takes me a second longer than it should to take it. When I do I say goodbye to her and make my way to my car. On my way out I see Ezra still working on some papers, "Thanks Ezra, I'll see you later."

He looks up at me, "Bye Em." I make my way into my car and head over to Spencer's.

* * *

"Finally Em, it took you forever to get here." Hannah says while taking the bag from my hands.

I give her an apologetic look, "Sorry you guys, I took too long to go pick up my check. And then when I told Talia you loved her cooking she offered to make you something better than the sandwiches I was originally planning to get you." Hannah gives me an excited smile, and they begin to serve themselves food. I make my way over to the cabinets to get a cup and pour myself some water.

"What is this?" Aria questioningly looks at the pasta at the end of her fork, appearing a little wary to take a bite.

"I'm not really sure, she said it was a surprise. But don't worry, she promised me that we would love it." They still seemed slightly cautious, so Hannah and Spencer turned to Aria.

"Why are you guys looking at me?" she asked.

"Come on Aria, you're the most picky one out of all of us. You should try it first, and if you like it then we'll all probably like it." Spencer said as if it was obviously logical. Hannah stands beside her nodding, glad she isn't the one who has to try it first.

Aria looks over at me, silently asking for my opinion. I just shrug, it's her choice. She stares at the end of her fork for an extra second, and then decides to try it. She proceeds to go and serve herself some more, and walk to the couch to watch the show of orphan black they had been watching. Spencer smiles and glances at Aria, "I guess she really likes it."

Aria quickly turns around. She had just taken a fork full of pasta, she tried her best to cover her mouth and mumbled, "Yes! Talia's cooking is amazing, I don't think I'm ever going to doubt her again."

I'm the last of us to serve myself some food, but Aria was right. This is pretty amazing. We sit around the living room, just being lazy. After a few episodes Hannah begins to yawn. "Tired already Han?" I tease her. She's laying face down on the sofa, but she takes moment to look up and glare at me. "I've had a long day Em."

"What happened?" I curiously ask.

"Caleb has been kinda suspicious for a while, but he doesn't tell me why. He just says it's not the right moment." She lays her head back down, tired of the situation.

Spencer decides to join the conversation, "Maybe he's just not ready to tell you, just give him some time Hannah."

While faced down, Hannah manages to mumble, "I don't think that's really it. He's been pretty open about things for a while now. I just can't help feel like he's hiding something important."

Spencer gives a mischievous look, "Well, if he goes to the party tomorrow then we can just wait for him to drink a bit and you can ask him. Maybe he decides to tell you."

"Yea Spence, because that's the right way to have a healthy relationship." Hannah is noticeably getting frustrated. I stand up to sit next to her. She hasn't noticed me, so I just lay my head on her. I couldn't do much to comfort her, it really wasn't my place to get involved in her relationship.

"It's okay Hannah, Caleb loves you. I'm sure he's just doing what's best."

She gives a small sigh. "I know, it's just annoying not knowing."

"I know Hannah, I know." We spend the rest of the time trying to comfort each other and just having a nice night together. I leave early knowing I would be spending the night the next day. When I get home my mom is already asleep, so I go to my room and get ready for bed. I start thinking about what happened today, mostly about Talia. What did she mean when she said 'sometimes when I talk to girls.' Is she into girls? I don't know what's going on, but I don't think I necessarily mind. I manage to fall asleep, the first night I'm not bombarded by thoughts about Paige.

* * *

*Paige's Point of View Saturday Morning*

"Caleb, it's been more than a month and nothing has happened. A still hasn't done anything to the girls since Mona's death. How are we supposed to track A when we have nothing to go off of? And I haven't had any more messages since I got here. Maybe Alison really was A? What if I'm just ignoring Em for no reason. It took me so long to finally be with her, I don't want to lose her." I had been ranting to Caleb practically since I woke up. Since there was a time difference between California and Pennsylvania, I usually didn't have to worry about Caleb still being asleep when I called him.

Caleb tries to calm me down, knowing I feel slightly hysterical. "Paige, Emily and you have history. She isn't just going to move on. Once she knows why you didn't talk to her, she won't blame you. But you can't risk exposing us to A Paige, we just need some more time."

I start pacing around my room. I still haven't unpacked many of my things in hope of returning to Rosewood soon. Maybe it was just a naive fantasy. I let out a frustrated sigh, "How much longer Caleb?"

"I… I don't know Paige! I'm trying to work as fast as I can. I'm going off of old leads, and it's taking longer than I hoped for. It would go faster if I had any help, but every time I try to tell the girls the more I fear they'll be overwhelmed with everything again. I'm almost certain A has been trying to hack into my system a few times, but I think they don't for sure know that I know about Alison not being A. If A has been watching the girls still, then it's safer for them not to know anything. We have the power to take A down Paige."

"I know Caleb, but if A hasn't caught me speaking to you off of these burner phones maybe I can still talk to Emily." I tried to calmly suggest.

Caleb gave a long sigh, "Do you really want to risk it Paige?"

I stopped pacing my room, but didn't answer. After a few seconds of silence i said, "No. I don't."

"Then give me some more time Paige, I just need a little more."

"Okay Caleb. But you need to promise me something, if Emily starts moving on from me you don't have to tell her about the A's threats. Just give her some small sign, anything, to remind her that I love her. Please, that's all I want."

"Okay Paige, I can do that. But I have to go now, Hannah wants to go to a party tonight and she has been getting suspicious of me. I'll talk to you when I can. Just hang on Paige, it'll turn out okay."

I hung up my phone and laid face up on my bed, staring at my ceiling. Just a little more time, and this whole nightmare can be over. Maybe then I can be happy, at least for a little while.


End file.
